


What if?

by InkFire_Scribe



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Steven Universe Movie, What if it worked?, rejuvenator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:56:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22219666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkFire_Scribe/pseuds/InkFire_Scribe
Summary: What if Steven poofed when Spinel used her Rejuvenator on him? What if the Crystal Gems needed to deal with a Pink Diamond who remembered nothing about being Rose Quartz, or starting the war, or... anything?Inspired by @rejuvenatedau on Tumblr.
Comments: 31
Kudos: 159





	1. Rejuvenated Pink

**Author's Note:**

> Right now, this is just a one-shot scene that wouldn't leave me alone. I might be persuaded to write more, but I don't intend to really do this story justice, as it would be a very long one. That said, if you want to take this as inspiration and run with it, tag me! I'd love to hear what you have to add. :)

The world seemed to coalesce around her, rather than her forming in it. That was how it had always been, and there had been a time in which White had implied that was even the case. That the world existed to be experienced by Diamonds, and that when she ceased being, even for a short time, so did the world. That didn't seem likely, given how many others existed in the world, and White's philosophical explanations about how one couldn't _prove_ that anyone else existed seemed a little weak. 

Pink opened her eyes, and knew immediately that something was amiss. To start, her outfit had changed, and she didn't recall why it would have. She wore a short jacked and a flowy, flowery skirt rather than her accustomed ensemble, which she'd called her "poofy" attire. Mostly because she liked the word "poofy," and it irritated Yellow. That was always a good thing to do, especially when Yellow laughed about it afterward. 

Who wouldn't laugh at the word "poofy," honestly? 

Her focus moved slowly away from herself and her new clothing, and she realized that she was in a strange building. It was... organic. Not stone or metal or glass, but made of material that had once been alive. And there were gems here. Three of them, all staring at her with something like... unhappiness? It was hard to identify. She didn't recognize any of them, either. 

Just as Pink started to become truly alarmed, she realized she _did_ recognize one of them. On the left, nearest the warp pad in the corner. 

"Pearl." Pink tried to stand, but bumped her head on the ceiling and sat down again, puzzled and unsettled. "What's going on? Where are we? And what are you wearing?" 

She was wearing a jacket, too. Was it a new style? A fashion one of the others had invented? Or maybe it had been her own invention and she'd just forgotten? 

Another thought occurred to her that was even more troubling. "Why was I poofed? Did Yellow get angry with me again?" 

Pearl didn't answer. She just stood there with her hands over her mouth and... were there tears in her eyes? Pink got to her knees, moving carefully in what felt like an unusually cramped space. It wasn't like Pearl to show so much emotion. Something was terribly wrong. 

"What happened? Pearl, why are you crying?" 

"My Diamond," Pearl whispered. The gem on the right, small and purple... an Amethyst? She was very small for an Amethyst. Still, she stepped forward and threw up her hands expressively. 

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold the phone. This can't be right. Where's Steven?" 

Pink was taken aback by the Amethyst's bold manner, and actually recoiled from her as the little gem marched up to her, apparently lacking either fear or respect for her Diamond. 

"This isn't right. If you're here, why aren't you Rose Quartz? And if you're not Rose, why aren't you Steven? Steven's never been poofed before - never. It shouldn't even be possible. So where did you-" 

The third gem put a hand on the Amethyst's shoulder, and the short warrior went quiet. "Pearl," said the strange gem, her voice deeper than either of the others, and suspiciously calm. "Can you take her to the battlefield and explain? Amethyst and I will need to make some... adjustments." 

As the Amethyst pulled away and the strange gem stepped after her, something else came into sight. A gem in a bubble, sitting on the table. Pink instantly recognized it. "What did you do to my Spinel?" 

That seemed to make them nervous. All three gems traded glances, and after a pause that lasted maybe a fraction of a second too long, Pearl stepped forward with a completely unconvincing smile. 

"I can explain everything, My Diamond. Please, let's go to the warp pad and we'll-"

"No." The alarm she'd only just managed to control earlier was resurging, and she was positive now something was badly awry. She didn't know where she was or what was happening. She wasn't even convinced this Pearl was _her_ Pearl. She certainly looked little enough like her. "No, this isn't right. Where are Yellow and Blue? Where's White Diamond? I demand to see them immediately." 

"I'm sorry, I can't-" Pearl lifted her hands again, a placating gesture, and Pink began to grow angry. Touching her gem, she drew - nothing. She blinked and touched her gem again. She ought to have been able to draw out her staff, which had been her weapon of choice when sparring with Yellow for as long as she could remember, but for some reason, she couldn't. 

No weapon. Surrounded by strangers. No known allies. Pink lunged for the warp pad, but was stopped almost immediately by the strange gem, the one she still couldn't identify. Maybe a Ruby? She had a Ruby's aesthetic, but that's where the similarity ended. An off-color, maybe. 

Whirling, Pink dove for the door, moving as quickly as she could without smacking her head against the ceiling - which she did anyway. Half falling through the door, squeezing to get out, she toppled off an odd balcony and onto the sand below, landing flat on her back next to an enormous body of water. This wasn't right. This wasn't Homeworld. This wasn't even any of the colonies she knew. This was wrong wrong wrong. 

"My Diamond!" Pearl sounded distressed. Pink could hear them coming after her. No. No no no no. Bolting to her feet, she picked a direction and started to run, swiftly outdistancing the smaller gems. 

Pink Diamond couldn't know that she was running away from Beach City and Little Homeworld, and anyone that might have helped her understand what was happening. Not that anyone else knew what was happening, of course. 

That remained to be seen. 


	2. Runaway Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea this would get so much attention when I posted it on Tumblr. And since feedback is life and I want to encourage more feedback... here's another chapter.

Her feet dug into the sand. It was soft. Too soft. She stumbled, still moving fast. The wind whipped at her face, her hair god in her eyes, her mouth - so unruly! She didn't know what was going on and she didn't like it. This wasn't at all what she knew, what she was comfortable with. The world was not how it should be. Where were her Rubies? Where was her Pearl? Where were her Quartz soldiers? The beach stretched on forever. 

At length, Pink Diamond slowed. She couldn't keep running forever - or rather, she could, but it wouldn't do her any good. Her strides shortened. Her run turned into a jog, then a walk. She looked around and took a deep breath, running both hands through her hair. 

Everything here felt different. The water, so wide the other side was out of sight, so deep even her keen senses couldn't find a bottom, heaved against the shore, like a blue Zircon shrugging her shoulders. The wind was cool and salty, the sand soft under her feet. On the other side of the beach, looking out over the water, there were... plants. 

Pink directed her steps toward them, curious, wanting to feel comfortable again. Not wanting to feel alone. Yes, the plants were alive. Thin leaves like green blades, slender stalks that bent and swayed in the wind, bright yellow eyes of tiny flowers peeping up out of the foliage. Cautiously, she sat down and touched the leaves, the silky petals of the flower, the soft sand that shush-shushed through her fingers. This was unlike anything she could remember, and it was... well, it was almost magical. 

A creature fluttered up out of the grass, then landed again. Pink watched with fascination as the creature darted up again, then down. And up, then down. What was it doing? It had wings, like the ancient transports, and it hopped into the air, swooping and plunging again. 

Ah. It was catching smaller creatures. Ones with more legs and glittery, iridescent wings that hovered over the plants. 

"I want to know more," she murmured, and stood up again. The little hopping creature disappeared, but Pink took care to tread softly as she made her way over the dunes, inland through the plant life. It changed as she moved away from the water, the leaves becoming wider and softer to the touch. There were more living things, too. Some more of the winged creatures. Small yellow and black things that buzzed and bobbed through the air like fuzzy bubbles with wings. A creature with four legs and a bristling coat. It waved a long tail at her, and as she crouched to observe it, the beast sniffed her fingers and rubbed its head against her hand. It was soft and warm. 

"What is this place?" she whispered, a feeling of wonder breaking over her like the water on the beach. This was something completely new. 

"This is the Earth." 

Pink straightened, alarm sweeping away her wonder like Blue might dismiss her attendants. There was the Pearl again, standing with feet together and hands folded, head bowed. She was still dressed strangely, but as the wind caught her own skirt and made it whisper around her knees, Pink knew they were both changed by this place, even if she didn't understand why. 

"Tell me why I'm here, Pearl, and why I don't know this place." She knew it was more a plea than an order. Everything was so strange, and it was really more the strangeness and not understanding what was happening that frightened her, than the fact that her family wasn't here. Usually Blue or Yellow would have come to a colony with her. Or rather, she would have gone with them. But... this place didn't seem like a colony. Or at least, not a very well-established one. And there was a part of her that she didn't understand which objected to the thought of seeing this place become a fully-developed colony. Gems were important. There were resources enough here for many hundreds of good gems. But if the gems lives, then the winged creatures and the many-legged fuzzy bubble things and the furry warm creature would all die. She looked down, and found the furry warm creature twining affectionately around her legs. 

"That's a cat," offered Pearl helpfully, and smiled a little. Her smile seemed sad. Pink didn't understand that, either. "It's a creature native to this planet, called Earth. They like to eat fish, and enjoy being scratched behind the ears. This one seems to like you." 

Cautiously, the Diamond crouched again and scratched the cat behind the ears. She was rewarded with a soft growling sound as the cat's eyes closed with pleasure. How peculiar. 

"Why am I here, Pearl?" She didn't look up as she asked, instead choosing to focus on the cat. 

"The Earth was given to you as a colony. Your very own. But... that was a very long time ago. You decided that the creatures that lived here didn't deserve to be sacrificed so we might make more gems. Instead, you wanted gems to live here with the organics, and worked hard to make that happen." Pearl stopped talking, and there was something troubled in her silence. Pink looked back, and saw the Pearl watching her with a peculiar expression on her face. An expression that said she didn't know what to think. Hope and hurt, pain and joy all at once. 

"What happened?" Pink asked again. "And why don't I remember?" 

Pearl bowed her head, pale hair catching the light and throwing it back in iridescent colors like the wings of the many-legged creatures. "A war. Many gems were lost. More were damaged. We nearly lost the Earth several times, but at last we succeeded, and made peace with Homeworld." A holographic image projected from her gem, showing battles, banners, forts. Those slowly gave way to homes and laughter and families. Creatures that looked like gems but were organic. Humans, Pink thought, and was surprised she knew them. Pearl showed her images of herself in her poofy attire, changing to look like a Quartz soldier, her staff becoming a sword. A human. A child.

Pink's eyes grew wide. She reached for the image of the boy, but it dissipated as her fingers brushed it. 

"Who is he?" 

"Steven," said Pearl sadly. "He's.... not with us anymore." 

"Why not?" Pink straightened, suddenly excited and angry and... and there were too many emotions to keep track of. "If he's left, I can bring him back." 

Pearl shook her head slowly. "Your Spinel... she became jealous, and... used a weapon she called a 'rejuvenator.' It resets gems to their original settings. I wasn't able to determine where she got it, or if she built it herself... I only know that she used it on Steven, and..." The image changed, became a memory. Spinel, with crazy anger in her eyes, swinging something that looked like a scythe. The boy from before, but taller and older-looking. Human, thought Pink again, and felt something inside her squeeze at the thought. He threw himself in front of the others - in front of Pearl and Amethyst and the stranger. Garnet, supplied her brain, and Pink winced, rubbing her aching temple. These memories that weren't hers (at least, she didn't think they were hers) hurt her. They were giving her a headache. 

In the memory Pearl was showing her, Spinel sliced at the boy - once, twice, three times. Then... Pink didn't really understand what happened next. His body had been organic, after all, but something other than his body did poof. It poofed, and his gem - no, _her_ gem, her pink diamond, fell out from under his shirt. 

_He was me._

_I was him._

_Spinel poofed me._

_Spinel **killed** me._

Pink's head throbbed. She pressed her palms to both temples as though trying to keep her head in one piece. No. This wasn't right. 

"My Diamond?" 

"Make it stop."

"I don't-"

"MAKE IT STOP!!!"


	3. Remembering Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting a lot more encouragement around this than I thought I would. I think I can squeeze out another couple chapters before I let this drop at a point where you lot can take over. I hope you're enjoying what I pull out of this bottomless hat that is Steven Universe and his mom issues.

She was falling. Or maybe not falling so much as sinking. Pain sizzled through her, more and more intense as emotions and memories she didn't understand pressed at the inside of her skull with sharp edges. It was wrong. It was wrong. It was all so wrong! Faces she didn't recognize, names she'd never said, places she'd never seen. Distantly, she could hear Pearl's voice, distressed and becoming shrill with fear. 

Pearl? Afraid? That didn't seem right, either. Nothing seemed right. 

Then... something cold. It slid through her chest like ice over stone. Pink opened her eyes, looking down at the long, slender spear protruding from her body. 

Pearl was at the other end of it, tears streaming down her face, a look of uncensored pain on her face. Then... nothing.

* * *

Pearl caught the falling gem and brought it close, dropping her spear and choking on sobs she couldn't contain. She'd just attacked her Diamond. Her Diamond had come back. Pink Diamond had returned and she didn't remember anything at all. There was so much in this that was bad, that was wrong, that hurt. But there was no time for pain. She needed to get the Diamond back to the house as soon as possible. 

Dismissing her spear with a thought, she turned back toward the beach, only to feel the brush of something soft against her legs. Pearl looked down, expecting some grass or maybe a fine tangled around her ankles. Instead, she saw the cat. The cat Pink had been petting before. It made a noise halfway between a meow and a purr, sort of... trilling up at her. It wanted to go with her. She understood that without knowing how she did it - it had always been that way, and she suspected it was the same for Amethyst and Garnet and even of Steven on some level. 

Her heart spasmed and tears overflowed again. Oh, Steven. How he'd irritated her and tormented her and... and made her so unbearably proud of him. How were they going to do this without Steven? 

Bending down, she scooped up the cat and held both the cat and the gem close to her heart. "Don't think this means I like you," she assured the cat as briskly as she could manage. "I'm just bringing you along because my Diamond liked you. That's all there is to it." 

The cat purred. 

Lion waited on the beach, looking at her with unfathomable eyes. Rose's Lion. _Steven's_ Lion. Oh, stars above, how was she going to do this? Still holding cat and diamond, she mounted Lion and leaned forward into his silky pink mane. "Take us home, Lion. Please. As quick as you can." 

The beast stood up, the ripple of powerful, stocky muscle under her reminded her of what was real. Of what was immediate. Pearl closed her eyes, pressing her face into Lion's mane as she felt him inhale, tension spreading through his chest and throat. Then he roared and sprang forward. There was that familiar floating sensation, like when she used the warp pad. And in seconds they'd landed on the other side, skidding to a stop on the front porch. 

Pearl didn't let go right away. She hugged Lion tightly. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear, and she thought the animal understood her, even though... she wasn't his. And he wasn't hers. They were connected, but separate, and that was a sensation she couldn't quite grasp without much more grief than she knew how to handle. 

With a sigh, she sat up and dismounted. There was Garnet in the doorway, arms folded, stiff and anxious in her stoic way. Amethyst hovering behind, bobbing nervously from side to side. Pearl handed the cat to Amethyst and carried the inert diamond through the house to the door. It was time to put her back... back where Pearl had imagined she had never left. Rose's room. 

Whenever things got hard, she just imagined that Rose was still there. She was in her room, and would come out when she was ready to talk to them again. She was there, and if Steven got too rambunctious, she would come tell him he needed to listen to her. Rose had always been there. She was just... resting. 

Pearl looked down at the Diamond in her hands, its clear pink hue glinting up at her. It didn't look friendly or trusting or... even familiar. It looked hard and sharp and unyielding. Pearl's hands trembled slightly. 

"What happened?" Garnet was at her shoulder, steady as a boulder in a storm. Pearl took a deep breath, trying to settle herself enough to put everything into words. 

"I tried to explain things and then... she was in pain. I don't understand it. But her form wasn't stable. I... I poofed her. To give her time." 

The silence that settled around them was heavy. Pearl had attacked her Diamond, but she had done it to protect her. 

"You never did that for me," Amethyst observed, and when Pearl looked at her, Amethyst was giving a forced grin. It was supposed to be a joke or some sort. It wasn't a very good one, but Pearl gave her friend a faint smile. She couldn't explain how hard it was to do that to someone you care about, even a little. How much harder it was to do it to someone you love. 

"Do what you need to do," Garnet urged, and Pearl knew she had already seen what was going to happen next. 

Again, she steadied herself with a breath, gripping the gem tightly in both hands as she approached the door. Go in, leave Pink Diamond where she could reform in peace, and come back out again. 

That was all she needed to do. 

That was all anyone needed to do. 

The rest was up to her. 

When Pearl came back out, she looked at her friends, then up at the ceiling, remembering the injector on the hill above them. "We don't have a lot of time. Let's rally Little Homeworld and get this taken care of. Garnet, could you... stay here? With her? I don't think I..." She trailed off, realizing with a painful squeeze around her heart that she was doing it again. Taking control. That was what she did when it felt like everything was falling apart. She took control of whatever she could and tried to make the world make sense. 

But Garnet didn't comment on that. She just nodded and went to sit down at the counter in the kitchen. "I'll let Greg know what happened." 

Another wince. That was going to be... awkward. Pearl nodded and turned to Amethyst. "Let's go. There are things to do today, and they won't wait." 


	4. Rebuilding Pink

"I still think we should wait." 

"It's been almost a whole day." 

"She might need her space. Certainly she didn't react well last time." 

"She's had time. We need to deal with this." 

"I'm not ready to deal with this!" Pearl banged her fist on the table, then sprang back as though scorched, eyes wide as she covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I didn't- I'm sorry." 

Garnet didn't react, but as Amethyst stood up and opened her mouth to continue the argument, the front door banged open. Pearl jumped, spinning around to face the door as if expecting enemies to swarm in on them. But the war was over. No one was trying to overwhelm them with numbers or superior weapons. It was just Lapis, shaking water from her hair. They'd been so absorbed in their... _conversation_ that none of them had noticed that it was raining. Or if Garnet had noticed, she hadn't said anything about it. 

"Lapis! Have you made any progress with the injector?" Pearl clasped her hands, almost as eager to change the subject as she was to see a solution to this whole, messy business. 

"We're figuring it out. But that's not why I'm here." The water coalesced into a rippling ball over her palm, and she directed it out the door with a flick of her fingers before settling her gaze on the trio. "You're hiding something. You're upset, and no one's seen Steven. The others might be okay with waiting for you to tell us what happened, but I'm not. I need to know what's going on." 

Pearl flinched. Hearing those words was like being struck. Steven had been such a huge part of their lives that... that even an outsider like Lapis had started to pick up on his behaviors. His desire to help others. His... Steven-ness. 

"The Gem that brought the injector attacked Steven," snapped Amethyst, "and now he's-"

"No, Amethyst. Don't say it." Pearl glared at her, and for a moment, the two of them were locked in a battle of wills. Neither of them won. 

"Once Bismuth has a chance to look at the weapon, we can work out what happened. For now, Steven isn't with us." 

"What do you mean he's not with us?" Lapis' hands clenched into fists, her eyes narrowed to slits. "What happened?" 

"He got poofed. Reset. Un-Stevened!" Amethyst threw her hands into the air, as if being expressive enough might somehow make the facts easier to accept. 

Lapis, already tense, looked like she might crack. The door behind her creaked ominously as the rain pelted the building, and Pearl glared at Amethyst. 

"I told you not to say it." The words hissed into the silence, but such subtlety was lost on Amethyst, who jumped up on the table. 

"Why? Why are you trying to hide it? Why are you trying to keep secrets? Just not telling her wouldn't have made it go away, Pearl! You can't just hide things and hope they'll disappear, like Rose did!" 

Pearl flushed angrily. "I'm not-"

"That's enough, you two." Garnet stood up. Even with Amethyst standing on the table, Garnet loomed over both of them, an imposing figure, solid as the ground beneath their feet. 

Stepping around the table, Garnet approached Lapis and put a hand on her shoulder. "We know it's hard. We're all working through this as we go." 

"What did she mean... he's un-Stevened?" Lapis was trembling under her hand, and Garnet felt a sort of anxious twist in her chest, like her Gems were competing with each other. That wasn't a pleasant feeling, but then, neither was anything else at the moment. Her future-vision was entirely blank where Pink Diamond was concerned, but there was no sign, not even a glimpse of Steven anywhere. He just wasn't there. 

"He's not Steven anymore. He's Pink Diamond. We're not sure how this is going to work. She doesn't remember anything from between leaving Homeworld and now." 

For a second, the door bowed inward, straining and creaking under the force of the rain trying to get in. Then Lapis' shoulders slumped, her fists unclenched, and the door seemed almost to relax with a relieved sigh. She had been very close to losing control. 

"So he's gone, and... and we'll never get him back?" 

No one had the courage to answer, not even Amethyst, who silently crept back down off the table. The silence was broken by the soft woosh of the temple door opening. And... there she was. 

Pink Diamond ducked into the room, and the sound of Pearl's gasp was audible even over the hush of rain against the windows. Pink Diamond was wearing Rose's dress. It looked different on her, of course, but... that was Rose's dress, and Pink looked sad. 

For a handful of seconds, no one moved or spoke. As usual, it was Amethyst that broke the ice with a shaky grin. "Rockin' that dress, Pink. Love it. But, uh... what about the jacket ensemble? I kinda liked that one." 

Pink looked at her, then at Pearl, and finally toward the painting on the landing, wear Rose Quartz smiled serenely down at them. Lapis made a noise in her throat somewhere between a whine and a sob, but she stayed where she was, trapped under Garnet's firm grip. 

"Before you ask... no, I don't remember. Not really, anyway. Just... flashes." Pink looked down at herself and touched the skirt, spreading it out with one hand as though to check it for tears. "But... I thought this might help. I remember that you three are... allies?" The last word was more a question than a statement, and Lapis dashed tears from her eyes as she looked away. 

"We were more than allies. We were friends. We were _family_. But what are we now?" Distraught, Lapis tried to pull away, but Garnet kept her where she was. 

"We're still a family. When bad things happen, families stick together. If you need space to process, we'll give it to you, but don't leave because you feel sorry for yourself." 

"What would you know?" Lapis slapped her hand away with a scowl, tears sparkling in her eyes again. "You've never been alone, you've never been rejected!" In a flash of blue and a bare shoulder, she was gone, slamming through the door and into the rain. Garnet watched her go, her lips pressed into a thin, tight line. 

Pink Diamond watched, gripping handfuls of her skirt and rocking unhappily to and fro. "I don't know what just happened, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause problems." 

"It's not your fault," started Pearl, wanting to smooth things over, but Garnet gestured for her to be quiet. 

"This is something that can be fixed." The fusion's voice was calm, but there was a thread of tension in her voice that no one could mistake. "I need some space now. I'll be back... later." 

She turned and left, closing the door quietly behind her. Pink Diamond watched her go. There was sadness on her face. Pain. "I didn't mean to upset anyone. I'm just... trying to figure out what to do. Things have changed. So many people are... are counting on me. I don't know what I'm supposed to do." 

There was such vulnerability in her voice, such concern on her face, that Pearl's eyes filled with tears. 

Amethyst laughed. 

"Wow, look at us. There's nothing better than a reunion, am I right? Let's go up top and see what the Gems from Little Homeworld are doing." 

Pink looked at the little purple Gem and smiled a little, comforted by her cheerful mask. "Okay. I'll follow your lead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friends, we are in uncharted waters. I have literally no idea what I'm doing. Suggestions would be appreciated.


End file.
